“It was like a nightmare in the daytime. I was pretty shaken up,” he said. “That could’ve been me on one of those buses.”

Seven other riders were in serious condition but were expected to survive.

The other driver, James Roberts, suffered neck, shoulder and back injuries, officials said. He has been released from a hospital.

The No. 59 bus was headed into Newark when it T-boned the No. 13 at the intersection, nearly splitting the bus in two.

Both drivers were in good standing with NJ Transit, Martin said. But Roberts, with the agency for 25 years, was involved in a $1.25 million lawsuit in 2009, when he struck a man crossing the street in Teaneck.

“This is a tragic day for New Jersey Transit, for our employees and for our customers,” Martin said. “First and foremost, our thoughts go out the families of Joseph Barthelus, our driver who passed away, and to all those injured or affected by this tragedy.”
Baraka called the collision a “tragic accident.”

“By the grace of God,” he said, “we are praying for all the folks in the hospital for a speedy recovery.”